Marie Rose Devaux alphabet embroidery sample book
Content Description
This collection contains a sales sample book of finely embroidered alphabets, likely intended for use on silk handkerchiefs. There are 290 embroidery samples on silk, mounted to windows in each leaf of the eighty leaves. Inscribed on the original silk cover in graphite is "Marie Rose Devaux 40 Rue des matyrs [sic] Paris". Bound in the Japanese stab-sewn fukurotoji style ("Bound Pocket" binding) and using paper with visible kozo fibers, this sample book was likely made in Japan, rather than simply taking inspiration from Japanese books. This is reinforced by the note to the front flyleaf, calling the samples "Matsuroku pattern." In the rear of the book there is a list of the various samples and their prices in yen. The samples blend Japanese and European sensibilities, with letters formed of embroidered bamboo, paper cranes, and monkeys alongside western umbrellas and hats and more classic letterforms. "Japonisme" is a French term for the interest and popularity of Japanese culture and art among Europeans, especially artists, after Japanese ports reopened to trade with the West in 1853; the aesthetic trend permeated everything from art to clothing to homeware, as evidenced in this sample book.
Dates
- Creation: c.1870s
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is minimally processed and open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.
Full Extent
.128 Cubic Feet (1 custom box ) ; 10 X 7 X 3 inches
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
- License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library of the University of Virginia makes its bibliographic records and the metadata contained therein available for public use under the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Designation (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was purchased from Type Punch Matrix by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on 19 October 2023.
Condition Description
good
- Title
- Guide to Marie Rose Devaux alphabet embroidery sample book
- Author
- Eric Willersdorf, Student Accessioning Archivist Assistant
- Date
- 24 February 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States